United Way raises alarm of inflation strains on households

In the face of historic inflation, United Way Trusted Community Partners report increased needs in Marshall County from low-income, working households struggling to make ends meet. To show the urgency of the situation and harsh realities over a quarter of Marshall County families face, the United Way of Marshall County released a new poverty simulator earlier today on its agency website.

Currently, 26 percent of all households in Marshall County are ALICE households. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, representing the growing number of hardworking individuals and families who are unable to afford basic necessities of housing, food, childcare, health care, and transportation.

An additional 12 percent of area households live in poverty. Taken together, 38 percent of households in Marshall County struggle to afford basic needs. Inflation is expected to push those numbers even higher. For individuals and